Duplex
Directed by Danny DeVito
- comedy
The story
When a young couple buys their dream home, they have no idea what the sweet little old lady upstairs is going to put them through!
What it’s like
Bright, stagey domestic comedy in a single cramped Manhattan-style brownstone, shot in warm, slightly overlit interiors with lots of medium two-shots and sitcom-width framing that keeps the couple and their upstairs tenant in the same frame and the tension visible. The palette runs to beige walls, cream kitchens and tidy, catalogue-neat apartments that slowly feel more cluttered and claustrophobic as the household friction escalates. Sound is light and jaunty, with a playful score that undercuts the escalating mischief, and the pacing is brisk and gag-driven, with short scenes and punchline cuts. The vibe is mischievous and breezy, a dark-edged comedy of manners that suits a lazy weekend, a comfort rewatch, or an evening when you want to laugh at other people's bad housing decisions. The emotional register stays comic and cynical rather than warm: a naive young husband and wife are gradually worn down by a seemingly harmless neighbour, and the arc is one of escalating exasperation and grim, gleeful revenge. Intensity is low: mostly verbal sparring, pranks and mild slapstick, with some crude humour and a few bitter moments, but no real violence and nothing graphic. For people who want a sharp, grown-up laugh about the nightmare of new homes and difficult neighbours, not a gentle or sentimental film.
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